K

Kataphasis (κατάφασις)

Affirmative theology; the way of approaching God through positive statements about divine attributes and activities.

Primary text: Divine Names I

Katharsis (κάθαρσις)

Purification; the first stage of spiritual development involving the cleansing of the soul from material attachments.

Primary text: Ecclesiastical Hierarchy I

Kenosis (κένωσις)

Self-emptying; the divine condescension by which God accommodates divine revelation to human capacity through hierarchical mediation.

Primary text: Celestial Hierarchy II

Koinonia (κοινωνία)

Communion or participation; the sharing in divine life that constitutes the goal of hierarchical ascent and the essence of theosis.

Primary text: Ecclesiastical Hierarchy III. Part I

Kosmos (κόσμος)

World or universe; the created order that participates in divine reality through the mediating celestial hierarchies.

Primary text: Celestial Hierarchy IV